IARNRÓD ÉIREANN was warned about possible damage to one of the piers supporting the Broadmeadow Estuary rail viaduct five days before it collapsed by the Sea Scouts of Malahide.

One of the leaders  in north Dublin contacted the company to report what he perceived to be erosion damage, along with a recent change in water flow in the estuary. “This wasn’t something that happened overnight,” said the leader, who did not wish to be identified. “We had noticed a massive change in the water flow over the past two months, with a third of it going through one of the arches that collapsed.”

He said there was “no doubt that the flow pattern had changed” due to the erosion of the causeway beneath the viaduct, creating “rapids” under this arch right alongside the pier than crumbled last Friday.

“White water was spewing through it. One of my Leaders phoned Iarnród Éireann on Monday week and said it was in danger of collapse,” said the member of the sea scout group, which organises canoeing and other water sports in the area. It was as a result of this call that an inspection was carried out the following day. But whatever happened, the subsidence of the causeway was not picked up.

“They did nothing about it. Only when it collapsed did they see the problem. Yet we could see that there was a serious problem developing long before it happened, over a period of two months, and it should have been taken more seriously by Iarnród Éireann.”

The sea scout leader said the causeway was intact in May. But the photographs taken in July showed that it had been breached, and he had given these to the Department of Transport’s rail investigation unit.

Investigations continue into the collapse and repair. Nobody was hurt in the incident.